SUMMER SAIL - The Sarah, a reproduction of an 1886 Crosby Catboat, will tour the Cape’s south coast this summer. The vessel will be in Chatham’s Stage Harbor through July 5 and in Harwich’s Wychmere Harbor July 7 to 13. One-hour sails may be booked for a small fee, which will help support the vessel’s owner (the Cape Cod Maritime Museum in Hyannis) and local historical societies.

Catboat reproduction to visit Chatham, Woods Hole and points between

Ever wonder what it was like to fish in local waters during the 19th century?

Chatham residents can get a taste of how fishermen plied the near-shore waters in those days by going for a sail on the Sarah, a meticulous reproduction of an 1886 Crosby Catboat, which will be in Stage Harbor through July 5.

Built and owned by the Cape Cod Maritime Museum in Hyannis, the 23-foot vessel is touring the Cape’s south side this summer, with further stops planned for Harwichport (July 7-13), home port in Hyannis (July 14-31), Osterville and Cotuit (Aug. 4-10), Falmouth (Aug. 18-24), and Woods Hole (Aug. 25-31).

Volunteer professional skippers will take groups of five sailing three times daily for a small fee, which will be shared by the museum and local co-sponsors, including the Osterville Historical Society. In Chatham, the event is being co-sponsored by the Chatham Historical Society. The boat will sail out of the Stage Harbor Yacht Club.

“This was the kind of boat people used in fishing in Chatham” until about the 1920s, said Spencer Grey, chairman of the Chatham Historical Society’s executive board. The boat was used mostly for inshore fishing; larger vessels were used to go farther offshore. “It ties in really well with the history of Chatham,” he added.

Mark Wilkins of Centerville, director of the Cape Cod Maritime Museum and the boat’s chief builder, said this particular catboat, modeled after a vessel designed by Daniel Crosby and built by Herbert Crosby, in Osterville, may originally have been destined for Chatham, where the waters were often rough.

“It has a pronounced sheer, making her a good sea boat,” he said. The vessels provided a “good stable platform” making them perfect for fishing.

More than 6,000 catboats were built in Barnstable. Wilkins called it the “quintessential Cape Cod boat.” Before the museum opened in 2004, it was decided to build a replica of the boat, the original of which sat in front of the Hyannis museum.

“Of all the watercraft mentioned in historical texts on naval architecture, Cape Cod is pretty much synonymous with Crosby Catboats,” Wilkins said.

Originally a one-year project, it eventually took three years to complete Sarah, using authentic construction methods and materials. Wilkins said the process was slowed to exploit the educational benefits. “ We made it into a kind of construction-slash-exhibit,” he explained.

Sarah was made with oak and cypress wood; its red spruce mast came from a tree harvested in Falmouth. It features a canvas sail gaff-rigged with hemp, manilla halyards and cleats and blocks made of wood. Only its diesel inboard engine diverges from the traditional design, a concession to safety, Wilkins said.

The boat was launched last September at a ceremony that drew more than 400 people, including such luminaries (and sailing aficionados) as U,S, Sen. Ted Kennedy. “It was a wonderful event,” Wilkins said.

The second phase in the boat’s overall mission is to serve as a floating educational tool. Giving people the opportunity to sail on the vessel will help teach them about the history of boat building on Cape Cod and how essential the catboat was to the industry and to Cape fishermen, Wilkins said.

When not underway, the vessel will be available for tours at select times.

“We hope to make some friends and let people enjoy this boat,” Wilkins said.

Each one-hour sail can accommodate five passengers. The cost is $5 per person and passengers must be over 14 years of age. For more information, contact the Cape Cod Maritime Museum (508-775-1723 or capecodmaritimemuseum.org).